Defenders of Earth
by VampireSacrifice
Summary: The attack on Earth has just begun. What will the great defenders of the world do to stop Fuse's rain of terror? This story is filled with all the heroes (and villains) you know and love from the Cartoon Newtwork Universe. Shocking choices and amazing sacrifices ahead. Prepare for battle. No OC's. This is an old fan fiction, but with FF officially at it's end, I decided to share.
1. The Experiment

**Chapter I - The Experiment**

It had started off as just a normal day. Dexter sat at the usual green picnic table under the old oak tree in the school courtyard. It was lunchtime, but he didn't feel like eating. He looked up at the blue, cloud-splattered sky and inhaled deeply. A certain uneasy feeling tugged at the pit of his stomach, but he couldn't quite place it, which bothered him greatly. His friend Douglas trotted up, tossing his backpack on the table and sitting down. "Blasted Kanker tripped me in the hallway. It took me a while to um...re-gather all my belongings."

Dexter smiled wryly, pulling out a small hand-held device which he pressed up to his face and began to push buttons furiously. "Don't worry about it."

"Whatcha got there?"

"Hmm?" Dexter didn't look away from the flickering screen. "Oh, just a neutron stabilizer for a test I'm running back at the lab. The electric currents running through the test chamber are highly unstable and must constantly be redirected-"

"That's alright, I get it."

The orange haired boy sat the hand-held down, pushing his thick glasses farther up his nose. "Right, of course", he said. "So what's up with you?"

"Oh, not much. Ran into some trouble with Marie Kanker this morning. I missed the first five minutes of World History, so I was given Detention for tomorrow after school. Those girls must really hate me."

"Tomorrow? Oh man, I was going to test the new suit out on you. I guess we can do that today instead."

Douglas lit up like a light bulb and beamed at him. "You finished it? Oh that's great!" Dexter had been working on this high tech suit for virtual battles, and promised the young boy he could be the first to try it out. Douglas was his best friend anyways.

Dexter rubbed his chin. "Well, not quite. It's almost done, there's just one more piece I need to fix on the chest plate, but I can probably do that in a couple of minutes. Anyways, are you up for the test run this evening?"

"Am I ever!" The freckled boy smacked his hand down on the table. "When do you want me over?"

"Is six good?"

"Sure. My parents won't be home until nine tonight, so that gives us three hours."

"Perfect." Dexter cracked his knuckles and picked his device back up. "And to make it even better, Deedee is staying over at a friend's house tonight, so we won't be disturbed."

Douglas raised his eyebrow, taking a sip from the orange juice-box. "Is that so? Which friend?"

Dexter's face flushed red and he moved the fiery-orange hair out of his eyes. "Um, just, you know, those Powerpuff girls. Buttercup, Bubbles..."

"You're forgetting Blossom", Douglas cooed. "You totally like her, don't you?"

Now Dexter's cheeks were as bright as his hair.

"I-I do not! She's just cool and smart, that's all. But lots of other girls are too!"

"That all, huh?" His friend sighed. "Why don't you ask her out or something? I'll bet she likes you back! Oh! I know! I'll just go ask her myself. It will be like this: 'hey Blossom! Great job taking down that ferocious alien trying to destroy the city today! By the way, that little geek Dexter that always wears his lab coat has this adorable crush on you, and he sent me over here to ask you if you happened to be interested in him as well!'" At this point Douglas started laughing. Dexter sat down abruptly and buried most of his flushed face in his purple gloves. His blue eyes stared at Douglas angrily.

"Hey, chill! No one else heard me. I was just messing with you."

"Whatever..."

"Well, while we're in need of a subject change, have you seen that creep Man'dork' at school this week? I haven't, and if he was here I'm sure he'd be trying to start a geek fight with you during lunch."

"No. Maybe he's skipping to run some experiments in his lab. I've done that. Why do you even care? You should just ignore that jerk."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

Douglas threw the empty juice-box into a nearby trashcan. Dexter's clunky cellphone began to ring, and he fumbled to pull it out of his bag. He flipped it open and pressed it to his ear. "Hello? Oh, Professor!"

Douglas cocked his head to the side and listened.

"Yes, I did. Really. Are you serious?" Dexter jumped to his feet again. Douglas leaned in closer, trying to hear. "I would love to! Tonight? Well..." Dexter looked at him nervously.

"What?"

Covering the speaker, Dexter leaned down and whispered softly, "It's Professor Utonium. He wants me to go over to his place tonight for a really important experiment."

"But...but you invited me to come try on the suit!" Douglas stuck his bottom lip out and glared at Dexter.

"I know I know, but this is reallllly super special. Pllllease, we can do the suit run later. Plus, it will give me time to finish that last little details."

He sighed and rested his head on the table. "Argh, fine." Then, whispering, added, "go run off to your girlfriends house and leave me alone for the whole night."

"Thank you!" Dexter put the phone back to his ear, grinning wildly. "Yeah, I'll be there! Thank you so much, Professor. Goodbye."

"Ok, so why did you totally just blow me off?"

Our Science Club is having a gathering at Utonium's lab tonight. We've been working on that time machine, and there's been a miraculous breakthrough. This could be the day we finally finish it! Just imagine it Douglas, a world where time travel exists! And to think I helped invent it! Oh I can hardly believe it..."

"Yeah yeah blah blah blah. Tell your GIRLFRIEND I said hi."

Again, Dexter's face turned an unnatural color. "What?"

Douglas snorted and slapped the table. "Blossom? She is the Professor's daughter, remember? And you're going to his house, so-"

"Oh microscopic dust mites! I forgot that!" He groaned and hid his face in his palm.

"Eh, stop thinking about it red-head. You'll be in the lab the whole time, she'll be hosting a slumber party, you'll probably never see her."

"I guess your right..."

"Have you ever even talked to her?"

"Um...no."

"Well...does she know you exist?"

"Yes! I mean, I think so. I don't know. Maybe her father has mentioned me?"

Douglas rubbed the corners of his eyes and sighed. "You are such a hopeless romantic. And a really odd friend. Anyways, good luck tonight with your 'smarty-pants machine'."

The bell rung at this time, echoing loudly all over the school. The boys grabbed their stuff and made their way back to the building's entrance. "I'll make it up to you, don't worry. You want to come over on Friday for the suit run?"

"Sure. But I'll punch your face in if you disappoint me again. And when you get that time travel thing working, you're taking me somewhere bloody awesome. Like the Ice Age. Maybe even the Cretaceous Period."

Dexter pushed the tented glasses back up his nose and hit Douglas's shoulder lightly. "Thanks. You got it." Dexter jogged right down the hallway to his next class.

"And don't you forget it!" Douglas called after him, before heading off to Math.


	2. Falling Down

**Chapter 2 – Falling Down**

Buttercup kicked a pebble into the street and laid her skateboard on the ground. Looking up at the sky wearily, she put her right foot in the middle of the board and kicked off with her left. The clouds had been gathering, and they cast a dark, looming shadow over the whole town. Buttercup couldn't see a break in it anywhere. It was like the clouds stretched on to cover all the earth.

The wind whizzed through her ears as Buttercup skated down a steep hill. A cold breeze caught her and she shivered. She had an uneasy feeling. It seemed as if a nasty storm was about to strike, and she wanted to get home before she found herself stuck in the middle of it. She had gone out for some fresh air, to take a break from all the loud girls staying in her room. She enjoyed slumber parties, but all the girly-ness left her needing some time alone.

She was about halfway to her house when the thunder rolled loudly and the rain began to drop. Except...it wasn't rain. It was just little splatters of something... green? Buttercup stopped her skateboard and lifted her hand, catching some on her palm. It stung a little, so she quickly wiped it off on her dress

"Is this acid rain?" she said out loud, now thoroughly confused. The girl covered her eyes, careful not to get any of the unfamiliar liquid in them, and looked to the sky. She felt her heart stop at the site she saw.

There were dozens of large, bright green balls, about the size of one of the school desks, falling from the sky. Buttercup heard other people scream as the alien-looking meteorites began to hit the ground. It was a scene right from a classic horror film. Instinctively, she picked up her skateboard and darted towards the nearest tree, pressing her body tightly against it. Cars swerved to avoid the plummeting pods. In only a few precious minutes the city had turned towards total chaos. Buttercup watched in horror as houses were destroyed and the roads demolished. She had seen some pretty unusual things, but never anything like this.

After what felt like hours, but really was only a couple of minutes, the one-of-a-kind rain and the bright green pods had stopped falling. Buttercup carefully crept away from under the tree and towards the nearest glowing meteorite. It was sort of... pulsing. The sky was still very dark and covered by luminous clouds, leaving the area to a doomsday-type feeling. She noticed that where the green pod had landed, a darker green ooze had leaked out several feet around it.

"What the-?"

Suddenly, Buttercup heard an inhuman growling behind her, and slowly turned her head to glance over her shoulder. An ugly, round creature, the same color as the alien pods, was glaring ferociously at her. It had no legs or arms, only two red eyes and a large, jagged mouth.

Shoot.

Buttercup turned very cautiously to face it. The gurgling sound it was making gave her a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. She clutched her skateboard tightly, ready to use it if the creature jumped her.

And that's exactly what happened.

Without warning, the spawn lunged at Buttercup's face, and she brought her board to her chest to block the sharp teeth. She was knocked to the ground, still fighting to keep the rabid creature at bay. It wanted to bite her. Very badly.

Easily summoning her superhuman strength, she pushed it off her and jumped back onto her feet. Now Buttercup noticed the terrible burning inflaming her back. She cringed as she heard her clothes and skin sizzling. She had landed on the unfamiliar goo leaking from the giant sack embedded in the ground. It acted like acid, eating away her dress and damaging her skin. The pain made her head spin and vision fuzzy.

Buttercup couldn't worry too much about the damage to herself now. She made a mental note not to touch that stuff again as the alien leaped at her for the second time. This time, however, she was prepared. Her eyes glowed green as Buttercup fired bright lasers from them. The green spawn screamed and shriveled into nothing. An odd (and also glowing) orb hovered above where the creature had died. Buttercup blinked. What had just happened? She stared at the floating object, unsure of what to do. Remembering how the glowing green ooze had hurt her, she figured it best to leave the orb alone. It was very pretty though, and drew her into a fixed gaze. She stared deep into its core, as if hoping she could find an answer to her new questions. Why the Earth was being invaded? Who was behind it? How could she help stop it? But she received no answers form the orb, just a cold and mocking feeling of despair as it buzzed and shrunk into nothing.

The ground shook, snapping Buttercup out of her daze. She knew she had to help anyone hurt; she could start fighting off the spawn until her sisters arrived.

Buttercup saw a Kids Next Door SCAMPER vehicle coming down, and a KND combat squad get off, charging in to help.

The KND was known all over the world, and the grand old Tree House of Sector V was only a few miles north of Townsville. Buttercup secretly really envied the KND. They stood for something truly magnificent and did a swell job at defending their rights and protecting the world.

Inhaling sharply, the young, black haired girl took to the sky and flew into the green smog, not realizing it would be the last time she would see this side of town again, or that soon she would no longer remember those closest to her; not even her sisters.

The house was shaken violently. The girls screamed and took cover under the blankets and pillows. Blossom and Bubbles exchanged worried glances.

"Girls, GIRLS! Please, remain calm!" Blossom stood up, taking control of the situation. The others stopped screaming, but they did not come out of hiding. "Look, we'll find out what's going on, don't worry! I'm sure everything is fine. Maybe it was just an earthquake."

"Ah, Blossom."

A sweet, gentle voice, echoed from across the room. DeeDee, Dexter's sister, was pointing out the round window with a grave expression on her face. All together, the girls huddled around the frame, gasping at what they saw.

"Oh no."

"What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do!?"

"You girls stay here. Bubbles and I will head down to the lab to make sure the Professor and everyone else is alright."

Deedee nodded, hugging a pillow tightly. Even though she was clearly frightened, she smiled kindly at the super girls. "Make sure my brother's alright please!" The yellowish-blonde pigtails bounced above her shoulders as she expressed her plea. She had the most beautiful blue eyes, so filled with emotion, and her light-colored skin was absolutely flawless. Deedee was a lovely and attractive young girl, however annoying she might have been to her brother.

Blossom nodded. "Alright girls, please stay right here and lock the door behind us. We'll be back, don't worry!"

Together, Blossom and Bubbles made their way out of the bedroom and slowly began sneaking down the stairs. They heard a faint rumble and stopped. Bubbles pressed her finger to her lips, and the both of them glanced over the railing. They saw three of the spawns hopping around the living room, causing more destruction than a new puppy.

The girls glanced at one another.

(Meanwhile, at Sector K)

"Sector K to Moon Base! Come in Moon Base!" Numbuh 287 cursed as the screens faltered and went blank. She glanced back to her commander, frowning. "I'm sorry ma'am, but there's no response. We have lost all communication with Moon Base."

"What about the other sectors? Do we still have a connection with them?"

"Yes ma'am."

"And they cannot contact Moon Base either?"

"No ma'am."

"Hmmm..." The red-headed girl, with the number 86 etched on her helmet, moved to the window, pressing her palm gently to it. She stared out at the darkened sky, pondering. Her eyes searched every inch of it, trying to single out anything strange or unusual. Then, she saw it as the darkened clouds parted for a moment. The giant, gassy planet, thousands of miles above the atmosphere, blocking the light of the sun. It was several different shades of green, all swirled together on the planet's surface. Numbuh 86 gasped and backed away from the window, without averting her gaze. The clouds moved back into position, giving the planet a fair amount of cover from wondering eyes like her own. She noticed something else about the unfamiliar world that sent a shiver of terror down her spine.

"What the-?" She whispered softly, shocked and confused.

Numbuh 287 stood up, running to her commander's side. "Ma'am?" She followed Numbuh 86's fixed eyes, and also was quite shocked at the sight she saw. "What's-...is that...?"

"Contact all the other sectors now! I want Numbuh 5 on the line pronto!" Barking orders in her thick Irish accent, Numbuh 86 was quick to take action and get her crew busy. "Numbuh 287, continue trying to contact Moon Base. Numbuh 10, send out an emergency Kids Next Door distress signal, and Numbuh's 139 and 140, I want you to call up the Mayor of Townsville and tell him we have a Code 384QZ, as well as Dexter McPherson, Benjamin Tennyson, and Juniper Lee."

"Yes Ma'am!"

"Oh, and also, I want someone to get me Eddward from Peach Creek in the Suburbs. I need to speak with him personally. Now get moving!"


	3. The Color of Chaos

**Chapter 3 – The Color of Chaos**

"Tag, you're it!" The boy laughed and darted in the opposite direction of his cousin, teasing her with impolite jesters. He held a fat, tightly wrapped package in is hands.

She held back a smile, giving chase. Her long, red hair flowed behind her. "Ben, get back here! Give me that!"

He looked back at her, sticking out his tongue. Moving the box under his arm, he moved his hand to a thick watch resting on his right wrist. "There's no way you can catch me as Spidermonkey! Better give up now Gwen!" His cousin stopped in her tracks, crossing her arms sternly.

"Hey, no fair! You're cheating! We aren't supposed to use our powers in today's training! I'm telling grandpa!"

"Snitch! Have a little fun, cuz!"

"Yo! What are you two doing?" Both looked up to see a tall, muscular teen frowning down upon them. He had dark, ragged hair and eyes that burned like coals.

"Uh-oh, the party pooper's here." Ben sat down, knowing his fun was over.

Gwen glared at him. "Ben, that 'party-pooper' is my boyfriend, need I remind you?"

Opening his mouth, Ben pointed to his throat and gagged. "Please, don't remind me."

"Ben! Where are you?" Their grandpa Max came running out of the RV, looking a bit worried. A phone was in his hands.

The three kids gathered around the elder man. "You're phone was ringing Ben, so I answered it. It's the Kids Next Door."

Gwen and Kevin stared at Ben intently.

"Hey, don't look at me, I don't know!" He took the phone and held it too his ear. "Hello?"

"Is this Benjamin Tennyson?"

"Yeah."

"Listen, we've got a major problem."

Ben sighed, causing Gwen to gasp in anxiety. "Alright, I'm listening."

(Meanwhile, at the Cul-de-sac)

Only one of the boys had noticed something strange about the weather conditions. Eddy, like always, was up to another one of his schemes, even though they never ended up turning out right. Double D had hardly paid any attention to what his friend was going on about this time. Something to do with fish...

Instead, Double D was staring at the sky with a puzzled expression. He had never seen it this particular shade before, and there was no scientific explanation he could think of. It was beginning to worry him.

"Hey, Sockhead!" Eddy tossed a large chunk of plywood onto the ground and made his way casually towards the taciturn Edd. "Will you get to work on this thing already? What's up with you? You seem really distracted today."

"Hmmm?" Double D glanced at Eddy, then back to the sky. "Oh. It's just…the condition of the atmosphere this afternoon is quite concerning. Haven't you noticed? It's highly unnatural."

Eddy rolled his eyes, running his hand loosely through the patch of dark hair on his head and wrapping and arm tightly around Double D's neck. "How about you stop 'dorking out' and come help Ed with my giant fish tank so we can rack up some green before nightfall? This plan is flawless, trust me. We'll raise enough money to buy jawbreakers for months!"

"And in all the colors we want!" big Ed added, laughing slightly as he smashed a hammer against the plywood, attempting to nail it too another.

"Um, sure, in a minute. I'm just going to call a friend to make sure everything's fine. You can never be too cautious about the weather, you know."

"That orange haired weirdo?"

Double D frowned at Eddy. "He's a boy genius."

At this time, Double D's cellphone began to ring, and he fumbled to pull it out of his pocket. Eddy snorted. "Nerds..." He left his friend, giving Double D some privacy, and plopped himself down on a big red chair he had forced Ed to carry to the Cul-de-sac turn circle for him.

"He-hello?" Double D spoke quietly into the phone, tapping his fingers on his leg.

"Eddward, this is the Kids Next Door."

He felt his heart skip a beat. Looking behind him with his cellphone pressed to his chest, Double D decided it best to carry on this conversation completely alone. "Excuse me for a moment, gentlemen", he said politely, walking behind on of the houses. He sunk to his knees and, with his voice still lowered, pressed the phone back to his lips.

"What can I help you with?"

"Please standby, our leader will be with you shortly."

Double D's head was racing. He didn't know why the KND were contacting him, but he knew it would only be for an emergency situation.

(Back at Sector K)

"Ma'am, I've got Numbuh 5 on the line!" An operative handed his headset to Numbuh 86.

"Numbuh 5, this is Numbuh 86."

"Roger that, Fanny. Abigail here."

"Listen, and listen closely. I don't know if you have seen the sky recently, but we have a serious problem on our hands."

"What would that be? None of my team has left the tree house today, we're off duty. I am not aware of the outdoor conditions."

"I'm sorry to say this, but we are sending out a Code 384QZ."

"What? Are you serious? The KND has never dealt with that code before! In fact, we've never had to deal with anything involving the codes of planets outside our own galaxy!"

"I know, but Abby, this looks really bad."

"How bad are we talk'n here Fanny?"

"Well, let's just say the invading planet seems to, well..."

"Come on, tell me!"

"It appears to have absorbed many other planets. It's...dissolving them. I can't be sure of anything, but I think it needs to devour planets to survive. And maybe, it's eaten all the ones in its own galaxy, so it left and unfortunately found us."

"Please tell me you're kidding! How is that even possible?"

"Ma'am!" Another operative called out, waving his hand. "I have Eddward from Peach Creek on the line."

Numbuh 86 glanced towards him, her upper lip twitching. "Look, I'm not truly sure what's going on, but from what I know of common sense, whatever is visiting us is not our friends."

"I understand. Numbuh 5 will get her sector prepared."

"Good. I want you on standby for attack. We have lost contact with Moon Base, but I have my sector working on getting a hold of them."

"Alright. Be safe, Fanny. Numbuh 5 out."

"Ma'am!" The operative called again, waving the headset.

Numbuh 86 jogged over, snatching it up quickly and adjusting it to fit properly. "Hello? Eddward?"

"Yes? Who is this?"

"I am Numbuh 86, Commanding Leader of the Kids Next Door sectors stationed on Earth. A KND SCAMPER will arrive within the next 8 minutes to pick you up. You need to do everything they ask, the situation is urgent."

"Wait, what? Why am I being taken? Is there something wrong?"

"I'm sorry but there is no time for discussion this moment. You're not in trouble or anything, but we need to bring you to headquarters for questioning. I'm hoping you can tell us about something that happened several years ago."

"I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong person. I'm just a normal kid, I don't know anything!"

"Believe me; you have all the information we need."

"Numbuh 86, ma'am!" A girl cried, her voice trembling in terror. Fanny turned her attention to Numbuh 287. Her whole face was covered in an expression of fear. "The sky! It's...it's...falling!"

"What?" The red headed commander fixed her eyes on the sky outside the large window. Her body froze and mouth dropped. From the cloud cover above, what seemed to be hundreds of clunky, round pods were rocketing towards the Earth.

"Hello? Numbuh 86, miss? Are you still there?"

Double D's trembling voice drug Numbuh 86 back to reality. Raising her voice, she almost screamed into the headset, "get someplace safe NOW! The SCAMPER will be there as soon as possible, but you need to find shelter immediately! I'm sorry, but I have to go!" Fanny pulled the headset off and tossed it to the side, dragging a straggling operative to his feet.

"All of you, get to the safe room, quickly! Those things out there are going to come crashing through this roof at any minute!" Everyone scrambled to the hall, trying their best to stay as calm and collective as possible, but the situation had them all scared for their lives. Numbuh 86 was also nervous and confused, but she knew she was the leader, and she had to stay that way till the very end. Everyone else was counting on her. She scanned the communications room, making sure no one else was left.

That's when the first pod came crashing through the window. Glass shattered everywhere and papers were sent flying from the sudden force of the wind. Fanny turned her face from the shards, but a few still embedded themselves in her skin. She grimaced as the pain shot through her body. "Ughh!"

Another pod came down straight through the roof and crashed into the middle row of operative desks. The computers were completely crushed, and the green, cocoon-like object embedded itself halfway through the wooden floor. The base was being destroyed right before Numbuh 86's very eyes. Squeezing her damaged arm tightly, Fanny limped out of the room and down the hall, trying to reach the safe room where the others were. A pod crashed down right behind her, snapping the floorboard in half and shoving Numbuh 86 violently into the wall, face first. Blood burst from her nose and she cursed loudly, knowing it was broken.

"Ma'am!" The younger girl, Numbuh 287, ran to her commander's side, helping her to her feet. Fanny grasped her shoulder tightly, balancing herself. "Oh my God, are you ok?"

"No time, let's get out of here!" Together, they moved as fast as they could down the stairs. All around them the pods fell like rain, destroying whatever they touched. By now, the base's alarm had been set off, shutting all of the normal lights off and switching to the emergency ones. A siren echoed loudly throughout the whole sector, and dark red lights flashed every couple of seconds, making it very hard for the two girls to navigate the mangled halls. Finally, after only about a minute (though it seemed much longer than that), Numbuh 287 had successfully lead her Commanding Leader to the safe room with the others.

It was highly crowded, and practically stunk with fear. The sirens were not nearly as loud in the thick-walled, metal room, but the lights still dimly lit up and went out with every slight blink.

"Hold tight, my brave soldiers, we're safe in here." Numbuh 86 stepped in the middle of the crowd, trying to calm her teammates and the operatives. They only looked more horrified to see her face and chest drizzled in blood, and pieces of glass half embedded into her body. "This will stop soon, alright, and then we can get out of here and meet up with the rest of the KND. I'm sure in no time we'll have a plan to stop this invasion."

(Moments before impact at the Cul-de-sac)

Double D stared wide eyed at his phone as it beeped loudly, indicating that the person on the other end of the line had hung up, utterly confused by the conversation that had just taken place. Someplace safe? Why on Earth-?

His heart froze in place as he heard an unfamiliar noise echoing throughout the skies above him. He slowly turned his head to the green-tented sky above him.

It took less than a second for him to jump to his feet and take off in the direction of his friends. Terror was etched all over his face. Double D turned the corner sharp, screaming to the other boys. "EDDY, ED, GET INSIDE NOW!"

Eddy, perched atop his throne, looked worriedly at Double D. "What are you yelling abo-"

"NOW, EDDY!" Double D barked back, causing Ed and Eddy to exchange shocked glances. They both immediately got to their feet and jogged inside the open garage door of Kevin's house. As soon as Double D joined them, Ed closed the door and they were left surrounded in darkness.

"Man, Kevin's gonna kill us if he finds us in here."


	4. Can You Spell 'AHH?

**Chapter 4 – Can You Spell 'AHHH!'?**

"So, got a plan?" Bubbles said, pushing the pressure on Blossom.

"One."

"K, let's hear it."

"You go distract the creatures and I'll blast them with my ice breath."

Bubbles sighed, slumping down. "Of course, make me bait. Noooo problem." She stood up and cracked her knuckles, preparing to go face to face with the little green monsters.

"Hey guys!", she taunted, cupping her hands around her mouth. The spawns quickly turned their attention on her, growling and narrowing their red eyes. "Think you can catch me? Let's see!" She stuck out her tongue and darted into the hallway across from the stairs. The alien creatures gave chase immediately, snapping their jaws hungrily. In no time they had Bubbles trapped at the end of the hall.

Blossom knew it was now or never. "FLY!" She cried, inhaling sharply and exhaling deeply. The cold air shot forward, coating the whole hall, and turning to ice on contact with the spawns. Bubbles had leaped in the air and hovered close to the ceiling, out of the chilling reach of Blossom's icy breath.

The red-headed girl came to stand by the creatures. She grabbed a misplaced pipe, and brought it down hard on each of the spawns, shattering them. Blossom tossed the pipe to the side and rubbed her hands together. "...they were sort of freaking me out." Bubbles smiled as she landed. "So how are we getting into the lab?"

"I'm not messing with that creepy pod thing, so I guess I'm just going to have to blow a hole in the wall."

"Don't want to use the emergency entrance?"

"No, it's on the other side of the house, and we can't waste any time. Besides, it's designed to let people out, not in. Lab requirement, the Professor says."

"Have at it, sister." Bubbles stepped back as Blossom faced the white wall, bringing her fingertips to the sides of her head. Her eyes opened wide, and turned red. Two bright laser's shot out, and with the proper guidance and control, began to carve a roundish door through the wall. Every chunk of drywall inside the space collapsed in a heap on the floor and the dust rose into the air. Blossom stopped, blinking a few times, and darted into the newly made lab entrance. Bubbles followed, coughing on the dust. Thankfully, the lights were still on in the laboratory, but there was an eerie, thin layer of fog lining the room.

Most of the scientists were on their feet, but they still looked thoroughly confused and frightened. Both the girls noticed the pod immediately. It was larger than any of the ones they had seen. On the floor laid many broken test tubes and beakers. A colorful assortment of liquids spread across much of the tile, some of them mixing and creating odd odors and reactions.

The Powerpuff Girls nervously looked at each other. They knew this place was extremely dangerous, and they had to get these people out. Fast.

"Ok, we need to tell everyone who's conscious and unhurt to go ahead and get out before this place explodes or something. I'll start helping out anyone who is hurt on this half of the room, and Bubbles, you start helping everyone over there."

The girl with pigtails nodded. She began to help the large number of scientists still in the lab. She helped the injured out the emergency door, and continuously headed back in for more. They were moving pretty fast, but would not slow pace.

A couple of minutes had gone by. Now, the bright laboratory lights began to flicker, adding a horror film feeling to the ordeal. They emergency lights brightened on the odd device in the corner of the lab. It was the grand time traveling device that had brought all these brilliant minds here in the first place. It was quite beautiful, and it sat there, completely unharmed by all the destruction around it. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to stay that way.

Blossom heard a groan and turned her head slowly. Under a pile of fallen rubble, she spotted fiery-orange hair and a white lab coat. She rushed forward and began to dig him out. Blossom turned Dexter onto his back and wiped the dust off his face. His eyes were closed, and glasses broken in several places. She took them off and leaned close to his face. She could feel his warm breath.

"Hey! Wake up, can you hear me?"

Blossom shook him lightly, and he groaned again. His lids flickered a few times, then she found herself staring into his blue eyes. "Blossom?"

"What hurts? Can you stand?"

He rubbed his head, sitting up. "Ugh. My...side. I think...I think I broke a rib."

"Ok, alright. Listen, Earth is under some sort of alien attack. Those pod things", she said as she gestured to the one that had crashed down into the laboratory, "rained down all over the city, and I assume the rest of the world too, and these dangerous creatures spawn from them, so we need to get everyone out before the monsters appear, or these spilled chemicals kill us all."

He nodded, confusion and pain etched upon his face, an, and Blossom very carefully helped him to his feet. He held his right side tightly, and draped his right arm over her shoulder. Bubbles flew up to them, checking around the laboratory anxiously.

"Alright, I think that's everyone. Here, I'll take him." Blossom passed the boy off, then she saw something move behind them.

"Bubbles!"

All three of them stood there, frozen, staring up at two eleven-foot praying mantises. They were oddly miss-colored, and glowed just like the smaller spawns had. Their slit eyes locked onto the three children as they let out a terrible shrill.

"Oh. My. God." Blossom held out her hands, pushing her sister and the boy back. They slowly backed up until they reached the wall. They could get Dexter out. The exit was so close...

"You two go. I'll take on these creeps and get the girls upstairs out."

Bubbles thought about protesting, but she knew she wouldn't change Blossom's mind. Besides, she was a Powerpuff Girl! She had dealt with far worse things.

The mantises suddenly rushed forward, their large front claws pinching the air hungrily. "Hold on!" Bubbles scooped Dexter up and shot upwards to avoid being crushed. She flew up the small flight of stairs and down the narrow hall. They burst through the exit and right into a crowd of still very confused scientists.

Bubbles sat Dexter down, but he immediately collapsed, wrapping his arms around his torso and closing his eyes. His breathing was heavy and shaky.

"Don't worry, we'll get you help soon."

Professor Utonium came up to them, a worried look sketched upon his face. "Blossom?" He asked, close to tears. A loud noise came from inside the ruined laboratory and the ground shook.

"Professor, she's fighting off the monsters and getting the girls out from upstairs. But we have a lot of hurt scientists that need help right now."

The Professor nodded solemnly. "You're right Bubbles."

"We need to get out of here. These aliens are all over the place, and it won't be long before they find us here." Bubbles looked to Dexter again, helping him sit up. "Can you get a hold of the Kids Next Door? Maybe they can pick us up and take us somewhere safe."

He grimaced and pressed a button on his wrist watch. A blue-tented hologram, about a foot tall, shot up from it. A boy, maybe twelve years old, appeared, though the image was a bit damaged. "This is Numbuh 363, what services are you requesting?" He sounded a bit upset and annoyed.

"This is Dexter McPherson. We need several SCAMPER pickups at the Powerpuff Girl's home base to the MedLab. We have many injured and traumatized scientists needing immediate help."

"Fine, but I can't promise that your transportation unit will be there any time soon. Our lines are ringing off the hook and the KND has taken a hard hit by this thing ourselves."

Professor Utonium interrupted. "Look here, you little twerp, the best scientists in probably the whole world are all right here, asking the Kids Next Door for help, and you think you have better things to do? I want at least three SCAMPERs here NOW or so help me!"

Numbuh 363 mostly ignored the adult's threat. "Hey, chill. We've lost some of our own, alright? This isn't a joke, people are dying. The whole world has just been thrown into hell, so you're going to get the SCAMPERs when I bloody say you are."

The Professor was about to shoot another rude comment back, but the hologram faltered and another kid took Numbuh 363's place, shoving him carelessly out of the frame. She glared at someone on her side.

"I'm sorry, Mr. McPherson. Please excuse the careless and unprofessional behavior of my colleague. As I'm sure you understand, things have become quite hectic in the last few minutes. A lot of the Kids Next Door 2x4 technology has been destroyed, including our transportation vehicles, and we can't get in contact with Moon Base. I'll send my best men to come pick you up as soon as possible. I'm sure you scientists are going to be vital to helping us figure out what to do."

"You can't communicate with Moon Base?"

"No. Right before the attack, we lost connection with them. Moon Base gives us our overall orders, so every leader of every sector is struggling with what to do. As sad as it is for me to say, the Kids Next Door are running around like headless chickens, not quite sure who to follow. Normally we'd be doing whatever Numbuh 86 says in a situation like this, but her sector is trapped in their own base and she's in bad shape."

"That's terrible. I would love to help you try to get Moon Base back on the line. Do you mind if I come up to Sector K and see if I can find what's blocking the signal?"

"Sector K has been destroyed, but you could go to Sector Q in Tech Square. It's located underneath the streets. I'll have someone escort you there as soon as you wish."

"Great! I have an emergency lab set up in Tech Square, so that's perfect."

"Dexter, did you forget that you're hurt?" Bubbles stared at him intently. She reached her hand out to help him to his feet.

"The world is in mortal danger. The Kids Next Door need some serious help right now, and I can't let them down. Besides, there will be a MedLab in Tech Square."

"DEX!" His sister DeeDee came reeling around the corner. Her brilliant eyes filled with tears as she ran into his warm embrace.

"Oh Deedee! Thank God you're alright."

Blossom flew around the side of the white building, to everyone's relieve. She had the other frightened girls behind her. Two small cuts grazed her brow and left arm, but she looked rather pleased as she wrapped her arms tightly around her father, ensuring him she was fine.

"I'm alright?" Deedee repeated, shocked. "Look at you! It looks like the roof fell on you!"

Dexter laughed halfheartedly. "Hehe, well, it kind of did..."

Deedee gasped, pressing her hand to her heart. "Dexter!"

Bubbles interrupted with her sweet and calming smile. "It's ok. Your brother may have broken one of his ribs, but we have a couple of SCAMPER's coming to pick us up and take us to Tech Square. You and I can personally see to it that he gets to the MedLab and fixed up!"

"Tech Square? Dexter, what's going on?"

"The KND need my help so I promised them assistance in this attack. I'm going to be setting up in Sector Q."

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid! I don't want you out there with the monsters."

"I promise. I know I'll be much better saving the world from my lab, not out in the heat of battle." They hugged again, and Bubbles left the siblings alone and went to her sister's side.

Professor Utonium was still very shaken up, and stood glued to his spot, stroking Blossom's hair gently. "Blossom, Bubbles, where is Buttercup?"

The red-head took his hands in her own and looked him firmly in the eyes. "Professor, it's ok. You need to calm down. I'm sure Buttercup headed into town to help. She was out taking a walk right before the attack. She's probably already saved a few lives and is working out a plan with the Mayor at City Hall. I'm sure everything is just fine. We've dealt with worse, you know."

Blossom pulled herself away from her father, giving him time with Bubbles. She walked over to Dexter and Deedee. "Hey guys, what's going on?"

"We have some SCAMPERs heading this way. They're going to take us to Tech Square. You going to stay here, or do you want to come?"

"Well I think we seriously need to get every major player together and come up with a plan before these...spawn things catch us off guard again."

DeeDee raised her eyebrow. "Major player?"

Dexter nodded. "Yeah, you know, our world's heroes. Ben Tennyson and his gang, the Kids Next Door, Juniper Lee, Generator Rex, Samurai Jack; also anyone with skills in fighting or brains for science. But that's going to be a lot of people."

"We'll make it work. Is Tech Square big enough to do this at?"

"Sure. There's a meeting room on the west side, both above and underground. It's massive."

"Perfect. Now we just need a way to get the word out."

"Well," Dexter said, shifting his weight, "I have connections with the Kids Next Door."

"Great. I can find my sisters and we can go track down some of the more diverse heroes. It shouldn't take too long."

"Yeah, ok. We need as many people as we can, anyone you can think of to tell, please do. Let's plan on starting the meeting tomorrow at about 9:00 AM."

Blossom nodded and saluted. "Got it."

"Then I'll see you at Tech Square."

"You can bet your ass you will."


	5. Safe Zone

**Chapter 5 – Safe Zone**

"This isn't happening. This can't be happening!" Double D buried his face in his hands. His heart rate was so high all he could hear the blood pulsing in his ears. He breathed quick and heavily, on the verge of hyperventilating. Ed wrapped his arms around his friend, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug.

"Don't worry Double D! You said the Lids Best Floor was gonna be here to take us someplace safe soon!"

Eddy pressed his eyebrows together, staring at Ed with a look of aggravation. "That's the Kids Next Door, you-" He stopped short and sighed, turning his gaze to the wall. "Whatever. Listen, do you hear anything?"

There was absolute silence. Ed and Double D glanced at each other. "No."

"Exactly." Eddy made his way to the opposite end of the garage, pressing his ear against the closed tin door. After a few seconds, he lifted it up, and the dim light came seeping in the cluttered room. Double D blinked, and then followed his friend outside. Ed was close behind him.

"It stopped."

"Oh my God, the Cul-de-sac." Double D felt his legs wobble beneath him, and grabbed Ed's shoulder to keep himself on his feet.

Not realizing the damage was much worse across the world, they saw several houses were crushed and crumbling. The road was cracked and embedded with large, dark-green pods that had fallen carelessly from the sky. Even worse, several fires were growing larger with each solemn minute, most likely started by crushed propane tanks or snapped wires. The telephone poles were down, but it was unknown if the circuit breakers were doing their job.

"Careful", Double D said, biting his lip. "Those lines might still be active."

"We need to get out of here before this place like...explodes or somethin'." Eddy's eyes trailed to the sky. "When is your stupid geek squad going to be here?"

"I-I don't know. I don't have the slightest clue as to what's going on, only that the Kids Next Door's leader wants to talk to me about something urgent."

Eddy glared at Double D, hardly convinced. "Come on, man! Ed and I are your best...well, ok, pretty much _only_ friends. You could be a pal and tell us what's up."

"But I don't know! Honestly! I wouldn't keep a secret this big from you guys!"

Eddy shut up, but still looked thoroughly unconvinced. His hands balled into tight fists as an uneasy breeze picked up.

The three boys stood there for seven minutes, in the middle of the Cul-de-sac, waiting. Hardly a word was exchanged. The skies became a little clearer, no longer fully tented in green. The fires around them didn't seem very interested in growing now, which suited the boys' just fine.

There was a gasp and the boys looked behind them to see Kevin coming out of his house. "What….what did you guys do?!"

Eddy defensively raised his hands. "Hey, this wasn't us."

"Yeah right! Everything is always you dorks' fault!"

"Kevin, please, this is really serious." Double D fiddled with his hands nervously. "Something is attacking us. Even the Kids Next Door are getting involved. This isn't a joke." Edd stepped forward more as he noticed a cut across the boy's forehead that was bleeding pretty badly. "Oh, Kevin…your head…."

He lifted his hand to feel and winced. "Damn…"

"Um…" The nervous Edd looked around and then asked Ed for his jacket. He gave it to his friend gladly and then the boy stepped closer to Kevin and grabbed his head as he put pressure on the wound.

Kevin realized what Edd was doing so he pushed him off and held the cloth himself. "I got it", he mumbled.

They heard a faint buzzing in the distance, and saw a brown dot swiftly approaching them.

"There!" Double D, smiling in relief, lifted his hand and pointed. It came at the Ed's full-speed, and grew larger as it did so. They could make out the details of the peculiar kid-made aircraft now as it slowed to land.

A blonde girl, maybe 13, stepped off the SCAMPER, weapon in hand. She glanced around the Cul-de-Sac before cautiously approaching the boys.

"Eddward?"

"That's me." Double D stepped forward.

"Great. Are there others in this neighborhood?"

"Yes, plenty. We haven't seen them though." Double D glanced back at Kevin.

"Actually…your neighborhood is in considerably good shape from others…."

"You're kidding!" Double D gasped. It must have been much worse than they could have imagined.

"I think this is a great place to get an emergency camp set up", the girl said, more thinking out loud to herself. "Please, you four go ahead and board the SCAMPER, I'll start looking for survivors."

"Survivors?" Kevin questioned. "Are there people dead?"

She gave him a sorrowful look. "Please, everything will be explained once you get to safety."

"Good enough for me!" Eddy started to run to the KND transport vehicle. Ed followed and Double D helped Kevin inside as they took their seats. The driver looked back at them before locking the door and lifting the vehicle off the ground. He made a hand signal to the girl down below before taking off. It was a very quite ride back to Sector Q.

(Same time at Sector Q)

Benjamin Tennyson and his gang had just arrived at the base. It was hard to focus on what Numbah 88 was telling them with all the chaos going around. People were running wild, barking orders and passing off papers.

"-so we're going to need your help sense you tend to deal with aliens a lot", Numbah 88 finished as she took them to their temporary rooms.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah…" Ben looked nervously at Gwen who shook her head at him, but did a quick thumbs up to show she got all the information.

"We hope to get all the heroes here by tomorrow to go over the game plan on how we're going to attack this thing."

"Is there anything else we can do to help?" Gwen asked.

"No. We want you guys to stay out of trouble right now. We've currently got every KND operative in the world working on this. We're doing everything we can but we also have to be very cautious. We have no idea what we're dealing with yet."

"If you need anything, Numbah 237 will be glad to assist."

The young ginger boy bowed to them as he stood outside their door.

"Thank you ma'am", Gwen said politely as Numbah 88 jogged off. "I think Kevin should stay with me in this room, and Ben, Grandpa Max, you can take that one. We'll be right across the hall from each other."

"I think we should go find something to eat and hit the hay early. Sounds like tomorrow will be a very busy day", Max said.

"You're right. And Ben, please, stay out of trouble", his cousin begged.


End file.
